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PaperclipPerfector  5d ago (text post)   17922 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of September 14, 2026

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The mood is already turning against AI even while the labor market is strong,

I agree, but it doesn't seem like there's been an emergence of an Official Progressive Position on AI. Not like there is on Israel; or on Elon Musk; or on gay marriage. With respect to AI, I haven't noticed an army of NPCs uniformly and uncritically repeating the same talking points and buzzwords. I haven't seen much in the way of virtue-signalling competitions. So it doesn't (yet) feel like a culture war issue to me.

All this means that even if CCP directives ban layoffs (and they will), that would not contain a labor crisis in most sectors.

It's interesting to note that in China, there are large numbers of State-Owned Enterprises which really do (at least in practice) exist to provide jobs and effectuate state policy. From what I understand, a common scenario will be that a State-Owned Enterprise will have a publicly traded subsidiary and the shares of that subsidiary trade for significantly less than the scrap value of that company. Because the parent company won't allow the subsidiary to just be sold. In other words, it's known and accepted that these companies really don't serve their shareholders.

So I would expect that if there is a worldwide AI boom, the CCP will make use of these State-Owned Enterprises to stabilize their economies and employment figures. After all, they are doing that already.

With respect to AI, I haven't noticed an army of NPCs uniformly and uncritically repeating the same talking points and buzzwords. I haven't seen much in the way of virtue-signalling competitions.

I've been seeing Hinge profiles with demands that anyone who wants to fuck them not use AI, at slightly less frequency than the usual ACAB/Palestine. And I've heard the data-centers-use-wAtEr rant from my local frothing leftist co-worker once or thrice.

I've been seeing Hinge profiles with demands that anyone who wants to fuck them not use AI, at slightly less frequency than the usual ACAB/Palestine. And I've heard the data-centers-use-wAtEr rant from my local frothing leftist co-worker once or thrice.

anyone who wants to fuck them not use AI

Are they referring to general AI use or use of AI in their dating profile, messages, pictures, etc?

There's a really strong movement against even knowingly consuming products made using it, although it's not quite as straightforward as right/left or red-tribe/blue-tribe. The furry version isn't much of a surprise, but it's definitely something with a faction in normal (or at least as anyone on modern social media can be normal) space, treating its use as a mental contaminant.

There's a really strong movement against even knowingly consuming products made using it, although it's not quite as straightforward as right/left or red-tribe/blue-tribe. The furry version isn't much of a surprise, but it's definitely something with a faction in normal (or at least as anyone on modern social media can be normal) space, treating its use as a mental contaminant.

Basically I'll accept that it's a culture war issue when AI researchers giving talks on progressive college campuses get disrupted just like conservative speakers get disrupted.

I assume general AI use. Hinge is so cringe, conformist, and buzzword-y already, I don't see how AI could even be noticed there.

I assume general AI use.

Assuming that's true, I agree it's evidence that AI is becoming a culture war issue. That being said, I haven't yet heard stories of AI researchers having their talks disrupted as would happen with conservative speakers on college campuses.

I agree, but it doesn't seem like there's been an emergence of an Official Progressive Position on AI.

It seems to me like there is. Generative AI is evil because 1) it's used by capitalists to save money by replacing workers and 2) it specifically replaces creative people. Of course, #2 is partly an artifact of the fact that it's creative people who have access to left-wing media in the first place.

There's no progressive position about AI taking over the world, but there doesn't need to be.

It seems to me like there is. Generative AI is evil because 1) it's used by capitalists to save money by replacing workers and 2) it specifically replaces creative people.

Well here's a thought experiment:

Suppose you are on a progressive college campus. Which is more likely to provoke a negative reaction from your progressive classmates:

(1) You are known to work for an organization the primary purpose of which is to oppose gay marriage;

(2) You are known to work for an organization the primary purpose of which is to oppose affirmative action and other forms of discrimination against white people; or

(3) You are known to work for an organization which is primarily developing improved LLMs.

It seems pretty clear to me that the first 2 are going to provoke a much more negative reaction.

Or to put it another way, in progressive circles, people are afraid to even suggest the possibility that the police are not in fact biased against blacks; or that trans rights are being abused by fetishists; etc. But if you argue that generative AI will lead to a wonderful future? Not so much.

I don't have close enough knowledge of a progressive college campus that I could tell you if saying that you work for an organization developing LLMs will get you attacked. But it doesn't seem implausible.

I don't have close enough knowledge of a progressive college campus that I could tell you if saying that you work for an organization developing LLMs will get you attacked. But it doesn't seem implausible.

Well, I have heard lots and lots of stories of speakers who were conservative, pro-Israel, etc. coming to college campuses and having their events disrupted. I've never heard of this happening with AI researchers. So I'm just not (yet) seeing this as a culture war issue.

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